War of Emperium
by Lance Oo
Summary: Men with power always seek more power." In a land of greed and corruption, five friends seek for a place to belong in the ever shifting world of Rune-Midgard
1. War of Emperium

Blah…blah…blah I don't own Ragnarok Online, and so on and so forth…

Comments on this chapter will be in my profile.

_**C**_**hapter 1: War of Emperium**

**"I can hardly differentiate my dreams from reality these days."****  
**

_A knight stood alone in the middle of a forest; around him, hundreds of small beasts had massed. The little creatures stood no more than two feet above the ground, but each bore a viciousness their kind was notorious for. Leaves scattered the forest floor; every few seconds the sound of a leaf cracking under the weight of a goblin could be heard. Their snarling began to grow louder with their impatience. _

_The first goblin launched viciously at the knight with a hammer, screaming their battle cry and forcing its presence to the knight. Before the goblin could reach the knight, he had drawn his long sword and turned to face his first attacker. The knight placed his free hand on his sakkat and dashed towards the foolish opponent. With a quick twist of his arm he raised his sword and brought it down upon the goblin's head, cleaving through the mask concealing its face and sending it flying into its companions, instantly killing a large group of them. _

_The knight stood back to look at the damage he had done: the dead beasts glittered with a blue radiance, lighting the darkened corridors of the forest before fading into oblivion. At the sight of this, his eyes glowed in anticipation for more blood, his sword pulsating with each passing second. Lust for battle began to fuel the goblins as they raised their weapons and launched themselves at the lone knight. A smile crept across his face as he dashed into the oncoming attack. Swinging his sword in a large arc he severed goblin after goblin's heads. Their attack began to waver as the beasts stared as one after another fell to the adversary's assault. Soon the goblins began to flee in horror as the knight cackled a blood curdling laugh. Raising his sword, each body that lay before him glowed an eerie pale silver until an ethereal vision of each goblin was extricated from their remains and absorbed into the pulsing red sword. The air in the forest was filled with the piteous cries of horror from the once feared goblin tribes… _

"_Captain!"_

_Around him laid what at first would have looked like a battlefield but more resembled a massacre. Genocide even – had it been deliberate; but in fact, anyone watching the event would have told you the goblins had just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The winds of the forest picked up, spreading the knight's cape in full form; the crest of warring Payon in its center…_

"_Wake up, sir!"_

The captain's eyes flew open as he tried to grasp reality; blinded by a dim light, he realized he was dreaming…

"Sir! Word from the capital!"

"I'll be out…in a minute." A long yawn as if trapped in his throat escaped.

With a flick of his hand he signaled for the knight to leave his tent. As the knight left, the captain stared around at his crude tent; barely enough room for his sleeping bag and armor. Discarding the dream as just that, he began to dress, placing the light chain mail over his body as well as a dirty shirt indicating him as a Pronteran soldier. Before leaving the tent he fixed his long black hair into a makeshift ponytail, falling to the middle of his back, despite it being tied back, hair fell to the front and side of his face, partially covering his dark brown eyes. His light brown skin made him a clear Payonese inhabitant, although he had long ago joined the Pronteran Knight Division to broaden his horizons.

Stepping out of his tent the captain looked around to see the emptiness of the Sograt desert. His division was only a few hours south of Prontera; but they had been stationed in the desert for the past week.

"Sir!"

The captain turned his head to see a hunter from his squad approach him; a falcon perched on his right arm, his left arm outstretched handing the captain a scroll with the capital's seal on it.

"Word from Prontera. Sir!"

The captain looked down at the scroll with a slight hesitation.

"I was sure they sent us out here to get us out of their hair for a while. Don't tell me they want us back?" The hunter readily chuckled at the sarcasm but quickly stiffened up again. "Cross your fingers."

_Hiro Ryujin: upon receiving this letter, you and the Dragoon Knights; Fifth Squad under King Tristan are to immediately return to Prontera Capital before daybreak on the 15__th_

"That's it? And here I was thinking we'd be getting an _important_ mission."

Hiro glanced over his shoulder just in time to see his second lieutenant backing up. A tall slender man wearing a long white robe decorated with carefully stitched patterns; a clear symbol of his belonging to the Pronteran church. His pale, short white hair gleaming in the sun enhanced his sapphire eyes. The man had obvious good looks that signed him as an 'All-Pronteran' soldier. On his belt sat two claws fit for human hands; a common weapon used by monks while two earrings depicting crosses hung silently on his right ear as if to remind those around him he was a man of God and would not hear of any blasphemy.

"Alphonse, don't read from over my shoulder, it's unsettling."

Grinning, the monk walked over to the rest of the Dragoon Knights.

"Pack up guys, we're going home!"

A loud roar spread throughout the camp as the members of the squad cheered ecstatically at the news. They had good reason as well. The Dragoon Knights had been patrolling the forests east of the Sograt searching for the elusive Ghostring for the past week. The miscreant had been harassing passing travelers on their way to Prontera. Just when the 'camping trip' had begun to grow stale, the Knight's happened to stumble upon a band of wizards just as they had defeated the ghost. To make matters worse, rumors had been flying around that Payon had been massing its military near the borders of its country – of course in the name of self preservation. This did nothing to dampen the Knights' spirits of returning home though.

By mid-morning the Knights had started marching towards the capital with heat constantly barring down upon them. Hiro looked back to see many of his knights had removed their armor while the priests and wizards doubled up with them on their pecopecos. Frowning disapprovingly he had to agree the heat seemed more intense today.

Looking down from his peco to his left, Alphonse walked with a brisk stride, unaffected by the heat, even under his heavy robes. Hiro had always envied the monk's mental strength; their rigorous training had sharpened their minds and bodies to perfection. To his right walked the First Lieutenant of the Dragoon Knights; Haruko Uzume. She had been with Hiro for the better part of the last six years, always proving to be a reliable companion. Her long, pale blonde-nearly-white hair flowed behind her with each step she took, giving her an elegant charisma. Over her shoulder slung a rare white bow; said to have been imbued with holy powers: a proven ghost slayer. Despite her flawless pace Hiro knew even she that even she was faltering.

"Haruko, you okay?" Hiro questioned with a slight yet unnoticeable-to-anyone-not-listening worry in his voice. The young captain was never one to remain 'peachy' when his comrades were – well, not 'peachy.'

"I'm peachy." Haruko said blatantly. A skilled hunter was never one to show her weaknesses in front of her squad, especially when Alphonse who had been long coveting her position as First Lieutenant was always watching with impunity.

"You look tired; do you want to ride on my peco until we get back?"

"I said I'm fine." She repeated while looking up at her captain, her dull green eyes had reflected her exhaustion. After a long glare she continued to walk forward, trying to keep pace with a chuckling Alphonse.

Stirring his peco forward Hiro quickly paralleled Haruko's path; his mount's large red and blue feathers swayed in the slight breeze. Hiro was one of the few knights given a Grand Pecopeco; a sign of his rank amongst the Pronteran knights.

"Get on." Hiro simply stated while dismounting his peco.

With a sigh, Haruko mounted the peco, she knew Hiro was stubborn when it came to things like this. Even though the large bird had enough room fit two people Hiro had decided it would be a nice chance to walk. Behind the two comrades the Dragoon Knights had been watching intently, it was a common sight to see Hiro helping his subordinates, but they had all been hoping for something to finally spark between their commanding officers.

Ahead, Alphonse laughed quietly at the sight of Haruko losing to Hiro's stubbornness.

"Shut up, Alphonse and keep walking!" Haruko scoffed as she laid her upper body on the pecos neck and closing her eyes. A smile crept on her face – stubbornness was nice sometimes, she thought to herself…

* * *

"We'll break here for lunch." 

After hours of trekking in the desert, the Knights reached the green fields of southern Prontera; a sight for sore eyes. Everyone began to split up in groups; finding their own place to eat, and gossip about the various happenings of their division.

Hiro and his two companions found a quiet clearing with few trees and a small stream inhabited by porings, lunatics and other passive monsters. Alphonse was quick to lie by a tree, even though he seemed unaffected by the long march; fatigue had caught up to him. Laughing quietly, Haruko leaned across the stream, feeding groups of lunatics, only to be splashed back playfully. Smiling at the sight Hiro quickly diverted his attention to the monk, narrowing his eyes…

"So, why do you think we've been called back so suddenly, Hiro?" Although Pronteran knights had always practiced utmost formality towards superior officers; Hiro was contempt with his men calling him by name, although a few of his men _still_ called him captain out of respect.

"It must have something to do with the manifestation of Emperium…" the knight's eyes continued to narrow as he looked at the hilt of his sword; a lustrous gold metal shone encrusting the delicate wording: Masamune…

"Manifestation of…Emperium?" the monk repeated with a hint of waver. In front of him Haruko stood and faced the far off gates, then stared directly into his confused eyes.

"Emperium the most precious metal in all of Rune-Midgard has a funny way of appearing. Unlike Oridecon or Elunium, Emperium cannot be mined. You've seen the castles of Prontera, Payon, Geffen and Aldebaran, right? They aren't there for tourists; they were once used to protect Emperium." The hunter spoke with a completely different tone, making her seem like a separate entity from the one feeding lunatics minutes ago…

"Every seven years Emperium _grows_ inside the castles of the four towns, for one month Emperium is available to us…of course at a limited supply." Hiro finished Haruko's speech with great ease.

"I don't see why we need to return, every country has its own supply of Emperium…unless!" Alphonse's eyes widened in shock as he came to a realization of why they were suddenly called back home.

"Yeah, the rumors seem to be true, Payon probably intends to invade surrounding countries' castles; it would bring them great wealth…" Hiro spoke with a grimace tone, he detested unneeded fighting; and the greed of Payon was definitely unwanted…

"There won't be a war…right?" As much as Alphonse loved to prove his strength, he rejected the very idea of killing human beings.

Standing to his full height, Hiro grasped his sword and unsheathed the long, slender katana, pointing it towards the far off gates of Prontera, barely visible. The captain had full resolve to do whatever it took to calm the greed of a dragon.

"There _may be _a war for the Emperium…"

Suddenly a loud high pitched scream came from where the Knights had previously broken up, followed by a deafening explosion and the rise of smoke…


	2. Ambush on the sands…

I've read over it, but I still may have missed some mistakes, so just bare with it. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Ambush on the sands…**

"**I nearly lost him twice. Both times I wasn't strong enough to prevent it… The next time he needs me, I'll be there." **

Sograt desert: the embodiment of heat and fatigue. The desert lends no ear to the cries of hungry travelers and no compassion to ill-equipped adventurers. The wasteland is quick to drive many brave travelers into insanity with the constant screeches of the cactus like muka and the persistent thievery of the small blobs, the drops. This barren land of emptiness is no place for the weak. Although passing through the desert is one of the few ways one can reach Prontera, the pinnacle of prosperity.

Under the unwavering power of the sun a crusader and wizard seemed to be the newest victims of the Sograt, hundreds of eyes laid upon their baking bodies in anticipation for a long awaited meal.

The wizard's shoulders were slouched from exhaustion, as a result, her lengthy faded-blue cape dragged in the sand, leaving a long indentation in the sands behind her. Looking up ahead, she could see her crusader friend glimpsing at their map and looking for familiar land marks that would lead them out of the desert as soon as possible.

"Hey, Hikaru?" The wizard's voice carried a hint of serenity and innocence when she spoke…

"What?" A slight indication of annoyance carried the crusader's tone through the unrelenting shrieks of the muka.

"We're lost aren't we?" She said with a cheerful 'just-to-point-out-the-obvious' tone.

"Ummm…No, we're not."

'Hey, Hikaru?"

"What?" His annoyance had become more evident in his speech. The wizard seemed to enjoy tormenting the weary crusader.

"You bought the cheapest map you could, didn't you?" Again, her cheerful voice filled Hikaru's ears as he froze in his tracks, eyes wide open.

* * *

"_Congratulations on becoming a wizard, Grace!" Hikaru's loud voice resounded through the grand dining room of Grace's home like a gong in the dead of night._

"_Well done, Grace." The newly appointed wizard's parents said, handing her a long, delicate, blue, silk cape, made of the finest material money could buy. The top was decorated with seal fur, and along the shoulder guard, the word 'Otohime' was stitched with delicate precision. _

_Grace's eyes lit with joy as she jumped towards her parents, hugging them as though it was her last chance. After the ecstatic moment, she quickly tried the new cape on. Her long brunette hair fell to the middle of her back, often catching light from the many candles, it radiated like the sun. Her azure eyes also appeared to glow against her pale white skin. That coupled with the elegant cape, Grace seemed to appear like a goddess._

_Grace Otohime was the only child of the great Oto legacy and goddess was not all that far from the truth. Although many of her cousins and relatives were alive, Grace was the chosen heir to the great wizarding clan. Despite her heritage, Grace was a very humble and modest girl, welcoming all people from every walk of life with open arms. Although many would call this an incredibly fatal weakness, Hikaru was attracted to her undying kindness and loving nature. He placed the job of watching over this naïve girl onto himself ever since they were children. _

_As a result of her over protective parents, Grace rarely had the chance to experience a true adventure. Her life was sheltered from the outside and she rarely had the luxury to join Hikaru on his journeys. Even when she had the chance, Hikaru repeatedly shielded her, giving her few chances to gain experience by fighting and overcoming difficulties…_

* * *

"_I'm going to take a shower before I head to bed; goodnight everyone." With her final words, Grace had disappeared into the second floor of the large Oto family estate._

_Hikaru had left to purchase a map to Prontera from one the hundreds of merchants that cluttered the streets of Payon like dead leaves in autumn. Having no luck, he decided to sit and rest before making another round through the mob of traders. Sitting on a wooden box, his armor let out a loud clatter, at the same time he exerted a long sigh of relief from the chance to rest. _

"_Hey, crusader, you're the one lookin' for a map to Prontera right?" _

_Quickly, Hikaru jumped to his feet and placed his hand ready to draw his saber. Around him people began to eye warily._

"_Hey, hey, don't draw so much attention here. So, you want the map or not?" The voice appeared to be that of a young man, no older than thirteen._

"_Hmm, I don't know…" Hikaru had relaxed, but looking around, he could see no one talking to him…_

"_Come on, it's brand new, perfect quality, yours for a low price of…" His voice slowly dropped to a whisper until Hikaru was just barely able to hear the amount._

"_I'll take it!" Hikaru said ecstatically, again several confused eyes stared at him._

_As per the young man's instructions, Hikaru dropped the money in the alley behind the local tool shop, when a hand materialized from the wall handing him the scroll… After taking his map, Hikaru walked back towards the Oto manor, hearing a soft whistling sound in the distance…_

* * *

"Ah…ahem, no, no I didn't!" He said, with a series of coughs and nervously shaking eyes.

"Hikaru?" _Again_ she spoke with the cheery expression.

"What now?"

"You're an idiot." Simply she stated, without changing her tone. After a long silence between the two, Grace started to walk ahead, muttering to herself. From the distance a soft cracking sound rolled into Hikaru's ears, over the constant screeching. Turning to look behind him, all Hikaru could see was the same old emptiness of the desert's sands… 'It's probably nothing.' He thought.

Turning back around, he began to follow the exquisite dragging cape in front of him. Before he could even get a steady pace, an earsplitting squawk resounded over the cacti followed by the light flutter of wings echoed in the distance… Both of the companions turned quickly to see the cause of the thunderous cry; only to catch a glimpse of something soaring into the clouds…

"W-what was that?" Grace spoke; with a fearful worry in her voice.

"I don't know and I don't want to find out. Hurry, Grace, let's get out of here!" Hastily, the crusader turned and grabbed his partner's hand and started to sprint. Up ahead, trees began to jut out from the horizon, letting out a sigh, he started to pick up pace in hopes of finding somewhere to hide their position.

Abruptly; a shadow of an extremely large bird; _at least _fifteen feet long, with two long wings spanning longer than the length of its body, swiftly flew over head, completely covering the fleeing duo in its darkness for a split second. Grace's eyes widened as she felt something furry wrap around her face before retreating with the shadow…

Stopping in their tracks, both looked to the skies, only to see the sun staring back down at them…

"H-how can anything be so fast?" Grace looked shocked… any hope she had of defeating the monster had been erased… Dropping to the ground, her eyes widened, she wasn't used to such odds…

Looking her in the eyes, Hikaru suddenly grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her… "Stop it! You've got to be confident; we've been through worse situations than this!" From behind, Hikaru could hear the soft flutter of wings. 'Damnit… fast, huge, quiet…what the hell is that _thing_?" In one quick motion he pushed Grace to the side and turned around with a shield on arm, catching a glimpse of the monsters head. It was a large eagle with cat like eyes, wrapped in a wonderful array of white feathers. Slamming into his shield, the bird soared back into the sky… out of visibility…

'Damnit… that thing nearly broke through my shield…' Hikaru thought, looking down at his shield… a large crack had formed… Undoing the straps, the shield fell to the ground with a loud thud 'and my arm.' Clutching his arm, he could feel that the attacker had at least fractured his limb from the last attack… Whirling around to see Grace, he didn't have to guess that she was completely terrified; her eyes had gone from a dazzling sapphire to wide, dull, blue pools of fear…

"Damnit Grace, pull yourself together!" He knew that his words wouldn't reach her though… With another shriek from above, Hikaru jumped to her side and placed her on his back, wincing from the pain of his arm… After a few minutes of running with the constant over passing shadows and quick shape of a beast flying by they had nearly reached the green grass…

With one swift motion the beast landed, wind over-lapped its body, throwing sand and small rocks in all directions… Hikaru looked on, straining his eyes to see the shadowy figure of a four legged animal with two large wings protruding from its sides…

Soon the sand began to settle, he could see the wings of an eagle, brilliant and pure white feathers overlapped the powerful muscles in the wing. Next he could see the body of a mythical animal he had read about… the lion; brown fur covered the entirety of its enormous cat like legs and body. Finally the head and front became visible… narrowing his eyes upon the eagle head, and bird like talons he let out two words…

"A Gryphon."

The creature slowly approached the crusader; it walked with a sense of superiority and charisma that suited the legendary beast.

"Don't look down on me you stupid bird!" Hikaru shouted while raising his injured arm… if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was when someone underestimated him. His arm began to glow a pale blue, followed by the sound of a light flutter… Grinning, he watched as his shield suddenly came down upon his unsuspecting foe's head, although he wasn't smirking for long… the shield flew towards his arm and latched itself into place as Hikaru let out a scream of pain… Luckily for him, the gryphon was stunned from the attack and fell to the ground. Taking this chance, he grabbed Grace's arm and ran towards the covering in Prontera's forest, blood trickled down his limbs leaving a trail…

He had run a good distance into the forest when another shriek came from behind him, turning around he took the full blow of the gryphon's attack to his chest… Grace had been thrown a few feet away from the crusader as he watched the gryphon soar high above, looking down upon its _toys…_

"_G-grace… you h-have to…r-run…" _He whispered, while coughing blood… _'So…this is it huh?' _

Snapping out of her daze, Grace quickly realized what was happening and turned to run…

"_I'm Hikaru Moriaka, nice to meet you." The young swordsman spoke to her with a friendly attitude._

"_Get some rest Grace, I'll keep watch tonight." The swordsman said, with compassion._

"_Here Grace! Happy birthday!" The swordsman said cheerily, handing her a clip._

"_Don't worry Grace, I'll protect you." The crusader said, with a smile on his face._

"_Grace, if we ever get into trouble, run…I'll be right behind you." Hikaru said…_

Her eyes widened, flashbacks of what Hikaru had said to her whizzed by in her mind…she couldn't run…could she? Her eyes narrowed, she knew what she had to do.

Without a second thought Grace rushed by Hikaru's side and placed his head on his lap, a warm light flew past her hands as she rubbed his face gently…she wanted to see his eyes one last time…

"I'm sorry…if I hadn't been such a coward, you wouldn't be so hurt Hikaru…" Tears trickled down her face, and onto the crusaders… Looking up above, she could see the beast diving down towards them; she searched her mind for any spell that could delay the inevitable… She mentally chose one that she had recently learned, charging the spell, a ball of lightning appeared at her finger tips. With the flick of her fingers the ball was sent charging at the beast… As the gryphon flew directly into the ball, an intense light surrounded them, Grace let out a scream as she felt a violent wind push her to the ground in an instant, followed by a deafening explosion…

Looking up at the smoke, she tried to see if the spell had worked. With a loud shriek the gryphon flew out of the smoke and landed with its head down…ready to charge at the wizard. Its body barely singed from the blast… Making her last stand, she stood over Hikaru and stared back at the gryphon defiantly, before it started to charge her…

Closing her eyes, she awaited her death…but instead of the pain coursing through her body she heard the loud clash of metal…

"You okay there, miss?" The voice had come from in front of her…

Quickly opening her eyes, she could see a man in heavy armor, much like Hikaru's. He stood against the gryphon, blocking its attack with his sword. The man was looking at her with a concerned, yet slight annoyance in his eyes…

From the left, a woman tackled her, pushing her to the ground and covered her head…

Glancing back at the man, he released the gryphon and pushed its head towards the ground, moving his huge sword behind him, swiping the air where she previously stood, he quickly delivered a series of slashes along the bird's neck… With a rapid flap of its wings the beast was back in the sky, scanning the new foe. The knight raised his sword arm, closed his eyes and concentrated. His body started radiating a bright yellow aura, the aura started to dissipate and surround his arm as he gripped the hilt of his sword tighter…

From the trees and bushes emerged a cloaked man breathing heavily, immediately he rushed to Hikaru and began to pass his hand over the crusaders wounds…

His eyes began to slowly open…

The gryphon dove towards the knight at full speed, its body appeared to be a spear as the beast straightened its body in preparation for impact… Everything began to slow down for the knight as he sidestepped the dive with ease and quickly hacked away at the monsters side, his arm a blur of movements… Shrieking, the gryphon moved inwards and caught the unsuspecting knight's armor with its powerful claws, tearing away at his plate and flesh. Without so much as a flinch the knight drove his sword into the gryphon's back, before it flew back into the sky…

Smirking, the knight raised his hands towards the beast, closing his eyes in concentration. His palms began to glow blue, in sync his sword began to radiate blue as well, immediately a bright red flame engulfed the monster, scorching its entire body… The light rushed into his eyes as everything grew quiet – the desert sand and green grass turning to dirt and ash...

_All around him houses burned while the stench of smoldering human flesh overflowed the air, intruding his senses. The knight walked through the flames looking for more blood to spill, his sword and armor already soaked in it… _

_He came across two children cowering in a hidden cellar, no doubt hidden there by their parents. Chuckling, the knight approached the two with a large grin on his face… Boldly, the older of the two, a girl stood over her younger brother, telling him to run… The girl had something about her… her eyes glowed with an untapped power, while her face was enveloped in dirt and dried tears it appeared to be emitting an atmosphere of power…_

_Without as so much as a flinch the knight slashed at the girl, disgusted that she would try and stand before him…but truly he began to fear the constant stare from her powerful eyes… _

_The boy however was just like every other child he slaughtered…why did such a powerful girl choose to protect him…? _

"_Why do you protect this scum, little girl?" The knight demanded, his voice cracking…_

_The girl stood, clutching her chest, her words echoed through the room… _"_Because, I love him!" She screamed, running towards the knight… With a flick of his hand he sent the girl across the room, knocking her unconscious… _

"_Foolish girl…" Reaching down, he picked the boy up in one hand by his head… Slowly, he began to crush the boys head with his metal gloves. The sound of bone cracking and the child's scream rang through the knight's ears as he began to laugh… The child's head collapsed, blood pouring from the stump of what remained while bones littered the cold cement floor. _

_He slowly approached the girl, his sword emitting a fierce red aura. Raising his sword arm, the knight prepared to slay the girl… Before he could bring his sword down, a cloaked figure appeared in front of the girl…_

"_Stop." The figure's bright crimson shroud shook when he spoke. He stood no taller than the knight, but the man was quick to lower his sword in the presence of this stranger… _

"_Let her live…let her feel the pain of losing a loved one…make her suffer for all her life…" The shrouded man commanded, his voice was deep and cracking… _

_A large grin spread over the knight's face as he obeyed, walking out of the cellar… All around him cries and screams of horror mixed with the carnage of slaughter brought a sense of twisted happiness to his face… _

The knight fell to one knee, grasping his head, eyes widened from what he had just seen…

"Hiro!" Haruko screamed, running to his side, looking at him worriedly.

"I-it's nothing…" He said, putting on a fake smile. "It's just the wound…the gryphon is going to get away… " He didn't want to worry Haruko; he wasn't even sure what just happened…

Nodding with a slight concern, Haruko stood and grasped her long bow. Picking an arrow from her quiver she stood straight, facing the fleeing beast. Her long, flowing hair trailed behind her as the wind picked up, the sun shone down carefully illuminating her entire body. Carefully placing the arrow she aimed towards the gryphon, pulling the bowstring back. With the simple snap, the arrow shot from her bow, before reaching the gryphon, the arrow split in two. The first arrow pierced the massive wing, pinning it against the gryphon's body. The second, without even slowing down, ripped through the gryphon's neck and unfailingly severing its spine.

The beast began to shrivel into a small twig, leaving Hiro's sword behind… With a whistle a falcon descended and grasped the sword…

Grace and Hikaru watched in awe at the power of the two… They had fought so hard just to stay alive when these two disposed of the monster in an instant. Slamming his fist into the ground, Hikaru snorted, while beside him Alphonse chuckled with a slight curiosity.

Hiro still shaken from what images had passed through his mind stared blankly at his gauntlets; they appeared to be soaked in a red fluid…

* * *

A fair distance back in the Sograt, a lone hunter twirled an intricately decorated knife in her fingers…

"You've become considerably stronger…Haruko." A cold malice rung in her voice as the hunter walked off into the desert, the symbol of Payon imprinted on her back…


	3. The Return

Thanks for the reviews! Comments will be in my profile, and enjoy?

**Chapter 3: The Return**

"**Life was bestowed upon us; it is not up to us to judge who deserves it and who doesn't."**

Hiro's eyes widened in panic as he quickly removed his gauntlets and threw them to the grass. The red fluid slowly faded into the dull elunium along with the captain's fear.

"What's wrong Hiro? You look pale."

Haruko's voice tensed slightly. The battle was over but Hiro still looked shaken up.

"I-it's nothing, I just need some air."

'Get a grip, damn it.'

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hiro removed his suffocating armor. Shaking his head, he brushed off the hallucinations allowing them to fall into the past. From the forest, priests, wizards and other members of the Dragoon Knights began to emerge, spells and spears ready at hand.

"You're all late! Celes, Liu Qi heal these two. Jung Hwa, the Captain's got a large gash: he's already started to lose a lot of blood. The rest of you, pair up and start sweeping the forest."

Alphonse gestured towards Grace and Hikaru while directing orders towards the rest of the division. The three priests stepped up and began chanting their spells while the rest of the Knights swiftly patrolled the surrounding area. Hikaru stared at the mysterious knight and hunter who had just saved him while cutting his pride in half. He hated the fact that no matter how prepared he may have been, the gryphon would have killed him and worse – Grace. While her few cuts and scraps began to close, Grace relaxed. She felt a sense of - safety with these people.

* * *

"Sir, there's nothing but porings and fabres in this forest."

"Porings and fabres, huh? Alright, send message to Prontera. I want the gates open at once upon our arrival."

The hunter quickly set his falcon free in the direction of Prontera. From the shade, Alphonse glanced towards the sun as it neared the horizon.

'It's almost nightfall, we'd better get moving soon.'

Alphonse looked on curiously at Haruko.

'After she's satisfied of course.'

The monk dropped to his back, allowing the breeze to whisk him into a dream.

"Are you sure it's fully closed?"

The lieutenant's face showed a calm exterior similar to masked goblins of the woods but her eyes tightened with every wince of pain the knight before her showed, betraying her face.

"Like I said, he's fine, the wound is fully closed. Healing anymore would be pointless."

The priest Haruko inquired was the third one to examine Hiro. Although the wound had been quick to close, Haruko questioned whether more curative spells were needed.

"Enough Haruko, why are you so worried anyways? If we leave now we can make it to the capital before the darkness sets in."

The hunter sighed disappointingly.

"I wouldn't be much of a lieutenant if my captain fell from a gryphon."

Haruko moved forward pressing her hand against Hiro's now closed wound at the base of his abdomen. The sudden warmth of his hand as he grabbed hers brought a blush to her cheeks.

"See? All better."

She quickly lifted her hand and turned her attention towards the crusader. He had passed out from exhaustion in the middle of healing and now lay on the forest floor, though he was beginning to regain consciousness. His wizard friend was conversing cheerfully with a few of the Knights.

"What about those two?" She approached Hiro's peco, placing his armor under the birds' splendorous red wing. The knight quickly stood, his expression grew deathly serious.

"Here we go again." Haruko sighed loudly to herself. She had seen this look enough times to expect what was to coming.

With a few quick strides Hiro walked towards Grace, the entire forest seemed to grow quiet as the scraping of metal echoed throughout the air… Hikaru watched the knight draw closer and closer, with every step his body began to grow more and more anxious. As Hiro passed the crusader their eyes met briefly, the young man's were filled with a fierce determination and defiance he rarely saw these days. However, what Hikaru saw was completely different; he stared into the eyes of a knight looking down upon him with gaze of superiority.

'Those eyes…it's the same as before.'

Images of the gryphon's stare flashed through Hikaru's mind. The same stare of supremacy, that look of domination…

"Who the hell… are you?" Hikaru _knew _he couldn't trust this man. His words were barely audible but Hiro stopped his feet and looked back at the crusader with the same gaze.

"Just a simple knight making my way through the world helping those in need. Please, do be careful next time…I truly dislike submitting reports about finding dead crusaders in front of Prontera."

Hiro simply waved his hand as he walked away from the crusader.

Hikaru clenched his fists so tightly his palms would have bled if not for his steel gauntlets. The crusader's dark blue eyes flared as he dashed towards the knight, armed only with his fists. The dark haired wizard, Grace covered her eyes and looked away while Haruko raised an eyebrow at the crusader. To fight someone obviously his superior; he was either very brave or very stupid. Opening his eyes in annoyance, Alphonse sighed as his attention was drawn by the floating ball of light bouncing on his chest. Immediately, he grasped the situation and absorbed the light into his legs and within an instant he was in front of the crusader, clenching the tight fist in his hand.

"Attacking your rescuer? I don't know where you're from but around here, that's pretty rude."

The monk's robe was still swaying from the sudden burst of movement. Hikaru flinched from the pain Alphonse inflicted through his gauntlet and onto his hand, a sign of brute strength all monks possessed.

"Rescuer? I never asked for his help in the first place!"

Hikaru grit his teeth as he looked onward at the knight. Hiro stood with his back facing Hikaru, his head turned slightly to look at the crusader.

"Would you have rather I left you and your friend at the gryphon's mercy? That church saber you hold would never cleave through the flesh of a monster such as a gryphon."

Even Hikaru knew he was no match against the gryphon but he still fought with all he had. Odds didn't stop him then and the certainly wouldn't stop him now as he launched himself at the knight, pushing Alphonse out of his way.

"Hikaru, stop!"

Grace screamed, stopping the crusader in his tracks. The wizard ran towards Hiro and bowed deeply in front of him.

"F-forgive my partner's rudeness, w-we're very grateful to have your help."

Hiro turned to face the wizard. A smile crept across his lips as he lifted her head.

"It's fine and you're welcome. If you two are heading to Prontera, you're welcome to come with us." He placed his hand on Grace's shoulder. "No need to be so formal, miss. If you're tired you can ride on my peco."

The wizard was silent in awe; she had completely mistaken the knight. Turning towards him, her hair was suddenly blown up by a swift movement towards him as Alphonse rushed to Hiro's side and whispered to his captain.

"I think you went _too far_ this time."

Hiro glanced back at Hikaru; a smirk appeared on his face. The crusader continued to stare back at Hiro.

"Not at all. These young guys need to go through some experiences after all."

Alphonse stopped, scratching his head in bewilderment. Even after five years Hiro was still a mystery to the monk.

"Five minutes Alphonse, we leave in five minutes." The Knights groaned at the captain's announcement.

* * *

Hiro walked quietly. He was leading his Knights back home to the Southern gates of Prontera. Although he had been living in the capital for the past five years, the city constantly treated him as a stranger. After passing in and out of the gates numerous times, it never truly felt like home. The citizens always hushed when the captain rode by on his daily patrols. Whispers of the knight commenced when he was out of ear's range, often pertaining that he was a spy for Payon, or rumors that the great fifth squad captain was really a demon from the Payon caves. Although he was content with helping the citizens despite their jesting, he despised that they would treat his knights the same; especially pertaining to his first lieutenant.

Before leaving the Payon Hunter Forces, Haruko had led the hunters into countless one-sided battles against the uprising forces of Eddga and Moonlight. Why she deserted her position was untold but King Tristan was quick to accept her as a Pronteran soldier; even though the division captains and citizens were against having someone with such history in Payon joining their ranks.

One would call the King a blind fool. Of course, not to his face.

As such when she joined the newly formed Dragoon Knights with Hiro and Alphonse many former Payonese soldiers flocked to the division; creating an interest in public and private discussions.

Further back, Grace and Haruko sat on the large peco that belonged to Hiro, conversing cheerfully as if they had known each other for their entire lives. Behind them, at the end of the marching line was Hikaru, muttering to himself about arrogant knights and traitorous wizards.

"We're almost there." Hiro squinted; he could see the faint light of torches of the gate guards. In a burst of excitement the Knights rushed towards the open gate, back to their warm homes. Hiro smiled to himself, he was happy to see his subordinates so ecstatic.

Through the overjoyed Knights, two men approached Hiro. The shorter man was dressed in a lengthy white coat contrasting his black shirt and pants. The man's dark chestnut hair was slung in a thin braid to the side of his neck while his perfectly tanned skin glowed eerily from the lit torches. In one hand he held a long katana, its sheath intricately decorated with the image of a pair of golden wings spiraling down the length of the scabbard. The taller man stood at least a foot over his companion; he was dressed in the same clothes as his partner although he wore a black coat against white underclothes. His long, untidy, charcoal hair fell freely to the sides of his face, covering few of the many scars adorning his rough face. With his mammoth sized arms crossed, a colossal axe sat latched to his back.

"Maleagant, Vaynard, why are you two here?" Hiro's eyes narrowed, it wasn't everyday he came _home_ with the third and sixth division captains waiting to greet him. In fact he was never greeted at the gates by either of these two. They rarely spoke to Hiro without good reason…

"We've been waiting here all night for you, punk! I aught a-" the taller one, Maleagant spoke, his deep voice bellowed in the night. Before he could finish Vaynard raised his hand, silencing him.

"His Majesty King Tristan has called a meeting of the thirteen Pronteran Divisions. You are to get dressed and report to the Grand Meeting Hall." Vaynard quickly turned around and walked into the darkness of Prontera.

"Better not be late, punk." Maleagant followed, setting off into the shadows.

Hiro sighed. It was late and he wanted to follow his knights to the dream world. But as he quickly learned, sleeping was a rare and uncommon practice for a division captain. He gave a simple nod towards his lieutenants and followed his two peers.

* * *

Inside the Meeting Hall all thirteen captains gathered at one very long table – the surface was enchanted to reflect the immediate areas surrounding Prontera. The table acted almost as a constantly updating map – with each person identified with a red dot. This one of a kind table prevented any ambush on the great city. The room was equally grand in décor. All along the walls, a wind was enchanted to blow long flags carrying the Pronteran seal. The only light in the room came from five chandeliers dangling below the ceiling. The enchanted chandeliers adjusted themselves depending on the time of day and how much light was entering the room. The dark, polished marble floor reflected the illumination, making the ground seem as though it were made of light.

Swords, wands, spears and other weapons sat at the sides of the captains as if they were prepared to fight at any given second. Hiro shifted in his seat awkwardly, he never felt comfortable at these 'get-togethers.' It always felt as if someone would plunge a spear into another's chest for look at them wrong…

A sudden burst of the wooden doors shot everyone out their trance as King Tristan made his way to the head of the table. His long purple cape fell behind him; two guards struggled to keep pace while carrying the ends of the cape.

The King spoke loudly; his voice resonated throughout the room.

"As many of you know, we are here today to discuss the impending threat of the Payon Forces." His face contorted into a grimacing appearance.

"All peace talks have been rejected up until now. We may have a war on our hands."

Hiro could feel the air grow tenser. He could hear the familiar sound of metal scratching against metal. Likewise he gripped Masamune tighter; his knuckles turned a bright white.

"I say we slaughter the lot of them! Show them Prontera's power!" Maleagant slammed his fists on the table, nearly cracking the soft wood with his abrupt outburst. "They won't stand a chance against the thirteen divi-" beside him, Vaynard stretched his arm out, silencing the brute. As the third division captain lifted his hands off the table, it began to repair itself with haste. Vaynard's gaze, however was directed straight at Hiro…

"What are your opinions on this, Fifth division captain Hiro?" Hiro winced from the raw words. It was as if Vaynard was trying to imply something…

"We should have our archers take care. _The__wind blows in favor for Payon_." Vaynard spoke, before giving Hiro a chance to respond. The room suddenly became extremely silent. If it were not for exhaustion and being in the presence of the King, Hiro would have drawn his sword that moment.

"Enough of this! The meeting will commence again tomorrow. All of you are to prepare your divisions for the possibility for war. Vaynard, don't try and pull this again!"

"My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty." There was nothing sincere about his apology though. An icy chill spread throughout the room as it quickly emptied. Ahead, Maleagant complained about what a waste of time the meeting was. The last two to exit were Hiro and Vaynard, walking side by side.

"I'm watching you, captain." Vaynard spoke, before speeding ahead of Hiro and back into the darkness of the streets…

Hiro looked to the full moon above him. The wind began to pick up, the long sleeves of his kimono swayed to the north.

'You're wrong Vaynard. The wind blows for Prontera this day.'


	4. Street Fight

**Chapter 4: Street Fight**

"**If I can prove myself in the world then maybe I'll be deserving of this name. "**

"_Murder…"_

_The word whisked in and out of his ears so quickly he had not one second to react._

"_That's what you are, isn't it? A murderer…"_

_The voice laughed coldly. It was neither a deep nor a high pitched voice. It was the voice of a person you'd imagine meeting in the back streets of Morroc. No, not so much a person as a rotting corpse from which the dry and cracked voice emanated from. By now the laughter was coming from all directions. Left, right, above, below; there was no escaping the eerie cackles. The sound reverberated in his ears as if he was standing inside a cave – the pitch black was engulfed by the sound of this maniacal laugh. Despite all his efforts to block out the laughter, it only grew louder and louder to the point of an oncoming deafness. He grasped his head, falling to the ground. He couldn't take it any longer._

_The voice suddenly halted its unnatural laughter._

_Silence._

…

_The only sound he could hear was the constant beating of his heart. The silence was slowly eating away at him. Unlike the incessant laughter, there was no chance of blocking out the silence._

_He screamed into the stillness "Who are you?" As if to mock him, the echoes subsided and all the remained was the same silence. His outburst had done nothing to dampen this invisible foe._

"_Answer me!" From the corner of his eye he saw a flash. He turned to see what it was; only to find darkness. From the abyss, a quiet chuckle emerged._

"_First you can't stand my laughter, now you scorn the silence. 'Master,' can't you make up your mind?" There was no submission in the way Master had been uttered. The voice simply stated the word as if it were a wild man speaking outwards with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Again a viciously malevolent chuckle echoed in Hiro's ears._

"_Stop your mind games and tell me what you want! Now!" It dawned upon Hiro that he was growing very angry, very fast. This entire feeling seemed familiar to him; this impatience and anger. It also horrified him that this rage seemed to ascend within him so quickly. Despite realizing it, he could do nothing to calm it. Even as he tried to calm himself, his temper boiled; threatening to explode on the first thing he saw. _

"_My, my. Feisty today, aren't we?" He couldn't tell if it was the silence, the arrogant nature of the voice or this unnatural rage but Hiro was overcome with a feeling of nostalgia. The enraged captain felt his eyes burn intensely while veins all over his body began to bulge and his flesh steamed from an indistinguishable heat. To him, this feeling seemed familiar…_

"_I've come to collect your soul!" Within a heartbeat Hiro was staring at a two handed katana, its blade red as blood. A crimson light bathed the captain forcing an ethereal body from him. His soul was being ripped from him… With all his might, Hiro screamed in pain but not a single sound emerged from his parched lips. Desperately, he reached out to grab his escaping being, only to have it slip through his fingers. Overcome with grueling pains and an inescapable heat, Hiro sunk to the floor. His body gave way while his mind was being torn in two different directions._

_When all hope seemed lost, a hushed voice echoed throughout his head. At first it was a murmur but now he could hear it flawlessly. "Courage, master. You're not alone." the voice spoke with the firmness of a father but also with the gentle nature of a mother. A pale blue aura washed over Hiro. His spirit fell gently back into place as if it were being placed down. The inexplicable heat diminished and the blood red aura cowered as life blossomed in the form of grass, trees and flowers all around._

A clash of metal was the last thing he heard before jolting up in his bed. From head to toe, he was drenched in sweat. A small crack from the shuttered windows bore a ray of sunlight into his eyes. It was a warm welcome from the previous darkness. Hiro rose slowly from his bed. After making his way to the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror. His body burned and ached from the moment he awoke. He ran his hand along the bare skin of his chest only to find it was strangely hot.

'Can't be,' he thought.

It just can't be…

Hiro ripped himself away from the mirror and strode to the window. He pushed the shutters away and found himself staring down upon a busy Prontera morning. Hundreds of merchants and blacksmiths were selling their goods in make-shift stands. It was easy for a Pronteran to tell which lived up to their name of quality goods. The best craftsmen spent their earnings on better, more expensive forging materials. As a result, their stands lacked the lustre and shine that their scheming counterparts raised. A wandering crusader immediately caught Hiro's attention. The young man was browsing a blacksmiths sword collection. He expertly eyed each sabre. Holding it outwards to test the weight, clashing it against his shield to surmise the strength and various other trials he thought of. Hiro watched the crusader intently while recalling their spat yesterday. The young crusader, Hikaru looked down at his church issued sabre and walked away from the stand holding the sabre with great pride.

"That one's got potential," Hiro said.

A sudden knock called Hiro to the door. At the entrance, with an arm casually resting on the frame stood a silver haired monk.

"Ready?"

Hiro nodded as he grabbed his sword and walked out the door.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Alphonse said worriedly.

"It's not confirmed" Hiro spoke with a serious tone "but chances are that there will be a war."

"Damnit!" Alphonse clenched his fists in anger. Hiro stared on at his lieutenant with a melancholy expression. Alphonse's father was a crusader and famous crusader at that; one of the most powerful of his time. The late Scorpius Dedgewind spoke passionately about pacifism; a belief he passed to his son. Ironically, Scorpius was one of Prontera's greatest assets as a warrior. He knew that there was a fine line when fighting was necessary and when it could be avoided and he walked on it regularly. A war was definitely not needed, especially one that was fuelled by greed. At least, in the eyes of Alphonse, who took the whole idea very personally.

The two friends approached the center of Prontera. A large crowd had amassed with several people shouting and throwing their fists into the air. "Kill him," screamed one man. "Rip him in two," shouted another. Alphonse gawked wide-eyed for a moment. Then the air around him whipped causing his robe to thrash violently in different directions. Five glowing, blue orbs appeared around him. They began to spin rapidly in a circle around the monk. He watched furiously as the people before him continued to act like demons. He had half a mind to launch his spirit spheres into the crowd before he remembered…

"_Remember Alphonse; life is the most important thing on this planet. We are not gods to take it away so easily. Do not act out without a reason." A tall man clad in silver armour leaned down and pat his son's head. The crusader smiled warmly._

Alphonse flinched as grabbed a sphere. It immediately disappeared and before Hiro could blink, Alphonse was already out of sight. The now lone captain ran his hand through his hair. He knew Alphonse enough that, that meant "You handle it." Narrowing his eyes, he walked into the crowd to obtain a better view. At the center of this assemblage, stood two figures; the first was a hulking blacksmith. Colossal arms and an even larger axe were dead give a ways: sixth division captain Maleagant Stactide, a menacing figure if one ever saw. The person standing in front of him also stood with his back to Hiro. A cotton cape dyed blue signified that he was a crusader.

"Better 'pologize , punk!" Maleagant shouted over the crowd. His voice was deep and obviously agitated.

"You apologize, you damn brute. You walked into me!" Hiro instantly recognized the voice. The same border egotism belonged to none other than Hikaru.

'What a mess he's gotten in to.' What a mess was an understatement. Maleagant was known to shatter bones for the smallest offences imaginable. The giant grabbed Hikaru by the neck guard.

"You got a death wish, punk?" The two stared each other down for a moment.

"Maybe we could talk after you brush your teeth. I'm dying from fumes here." The entire crown burst into laughter. Hiro shook his head in disbelief. The comment turned Maleagant's face a bright shade of red. With a swing of his arm, he hurled Hikaru to the opposite side of the ring. The enraged captain unlatched his axe and smiled fiercely at his opponent.

"I'm gonna enjoy this."

Hikaru struggled to his feet but the enormous figure was already charging him. The axe clashed down on his shield sending a searing pain through Hikaru's arm. The wound wasn't fully healed and taking a beating right now wasn't going to help. The young crusader drew his sword and concentrated on a basic holy spell causing the blade to emit a bright light. Maleagant though was one step ahead. He spun his body and positioned himself for a horizontal slash. Hikaru moved his shield accordingly and prepared for the worst. The sound of coins was the last thing he heard before witnessing Maleagant's power. The captain's axe shone with a golden light as the blade cleaved through the shield with ease, barely missing Hikaru's arm.

Hikaru whirled around and stared at the severed shield. The cut was made without any resistance whatsoever.

'Unbelievable,' he thought.

Looking up, he was met with a charging beast. He quickly unlatched the shield and rolled to the side. Maleagant's axe was sent careening into the stone walkway. Hikaru took this chance and drove his sword into the captain's side only to be met with another shock. Maleagant pulled his axe from the stone with ease and dropped it perpendicular to the ground, effectively blocking Hikaru's thrust. The captain pushed his axe aside and brought his arm forward to backhand Hikaru in the face. Hikaru lay several feet away on his back now. After playing back the last scene in his mind he noticed two things. The first: Maleagant liked to throw his weight around more than the average fighter. If not for his ridiculous strength, he'd be the one on the ground right now. Second: Maleagant could have easily grabbed his axe and sliced his head off but he didn't. Why?

'No matter,' Hikaru thought 'I'll get him this time.'

As Maleagant reared for another attack, it seemed as if the ground shook from his charge. Hikaru eyed his opponent. The axe came swiftly from above. Hikaru rolled out of the way. He rolled once again and positioned himself just outside of Maleagant's peripheral vision. Before Hikaru could strike, Maleagant's body emitted a bright gold light. His entire movement had stopped. The axe never touched the ground and all the momentum he had built up stopped in an instant.

"Impossi—" Before Hikaru could finish, the looming figure of the sixth division captain emerged before him. Maleagant brought his fists down on Hikaru's shoulders. The guards folded with ease, leaving craters the size of large melons. The crusader coughed up blood violently. All movement from him had ceased. He wasn't getting up.

"What? That's it?" Maleagant said "Pathetic!" The captain raised his arms in triumph. The crowd responded with loud cheers and more "kill him!" hollers. The blacksmith approached his defeated enemy with an ear to ear grin. His axe glittered in the sunlight as it came down swiftly. A shrill crash instantly ushered the entire mob into a silence. Facing Maleagant stood a knight and before his axe, a long katana. Hiro placed his free hand on the blade of his sword. Maleagant was not easy to hold back especially with such a light weapon. Hiro's blade emitted a slight tint of red. Suddenly a spark shot out from the point of contact between the two blades; followed by several more and finally a flame erupted, engulfing Maleagant. The large brute jumped back quickly escaping with slight burns and a charred chest plate.

"What're you doin' Hiro?' Maleagant said "this kid lost!"

"That's right. He's lost. Now leave before you do something you regret." Hiro's eyes narrowed. He looked straight into Maleagant's and spoke with a distinguishing seriousness; a signal that the crowd took to leave. Maleagant grunted before waving at the crowd and turning away. Several blacksmiths and young merchants followed the giant as he lumbered away. The mass dispersed quickly enough and numerous priests from Hiro's division rushed to the crusader. Hiro sighed as he looked at the young warrior.

'Not bad, kid.'

"**You should have let him die."**

Hiro whipped around. To his surprise, a small girl no older than seven stood in the street. She was wearing a delicate, blue spring dress. Her brunette hair was strung into a tail, giving Hiro a clear view of her radiant, green eyes. The girl stood stiffly while staring Hiro down.

"**Because of him, Mu—is going to obtain a huge advantage."** The noise in the square reached its peak. Hiro struggled to listen but the girl was finished speaking.

"W-what do you mean? Who are you?" Hiro gazed disbelievingly at the girl. In some ways, she looked like a younger Haruko. The captain walked closer to her, extending one of his hands slowly.

"Hiro!"

The captain turned back to find Jung Hwa looking at him.

"I need you to put some pressure here before I can heal it."

Hiro glanced back. The girl had disappeared…

* * *

(A/N)

Ok, you may have noticed that Maleagant, a blacksmith used endure. I did that to make the world more believable. Originally, he wanted to become a knight but quit his training to become a blacksmith, so he can use _some_ swordsman skills.


End file.
